Gundam 00 Innovation
by the-key-of-the-twilight
Summary: It is AD 2316 and along with new friends and foes, Celestial Being must defeat the new threat to peace: the White Knights. Setsuna/?, Allelujah/Marie, Lockon/?, Tieria/?, Saji/Louise, Kati/Patrick, and much more.
1. Prologue

**Gundam 00 Innovation**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or any of its characters. However, my original characters belong solely to me. ****

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**Prologue: The White Knights**

_To preserve the peace of the world with the will of God. We are the White Knights. _

A flash of white shot across the sky. A mechanical giant was left hovering in the air, scanning its surroundings for any signs of movement. For a moment, there was absolute silence. Then, suddenly, another monstrous creature emerged from darkness, catching the other by surprise. It raised its lustrous blade and in a second, pierced the enemy mobile suit with ease.

"Go to Hell, you traitor to God!" the pilot cackled as he watched his opponent burst into flames. He always loved this part. His eyes lit up as he gazed at the fireworks. He remembered enjoying them when he was child. The same red fire. The same glittering sparks. How he loved them.

"Saahir! Incoming mobile suits toward the Messiah!" a voice from the communication system rang out.

"Roger! Be there in a sec!" the pilot replied and spun around. A trail of white light tailed the majestic mobile suit as it flew back to its mother ship. In the distance, a colossal vessel drifted in space, looking more like a castle in the sky than anything else. Out of the corner of his eye, Saahir saw that two mobile suits were approaching.

"Oh, no you don't!" he cried as he pulled out his blade while accelerating through the sky. In another moment, one of the mobile suits was destroyed and the other attempted to escape. "Don't think your puny little robot can stand up to my Gospel and the word of God!" The opposing force tried defending himself with his shield, but it was in vain; the white giant sliced through him effortlessly.

* * *

"Commander Mannequin, approximately thirty mobile suits have been destroyed in ten minutes!" an operator reported.

"Dammit!" the experienced forecaster hissed as she pounded her fist on the arm of her seat. "I can't believe it… they saw through my plan…" Brushing back her dark hair, she looked down at her lap and closed her eyes in concentration. Was there anything else they could do?

"What should we do, Commander? Their models are far more superior than ours!" the operator asked.

_Gospels… are they of the same class as Gundams?_ Kati wondered and gritted her teeth as she hesitantly lifted her head. _If so… we can't win with the poorly equipped forces we have as of now._

"Peacekeeper forces retreat!" she yelled. "Retreat!"

* * *

The mobile suits began pulling back. The white giant flying before the Messiah was soon joined by two other similar automatons, forming a fearsome trio. Quite suddenly, the Gospel in the center broke formation and chased after a retreating mobile suit.

"What the-? N-n-n-n-nooooooo! I don't want to die!!" the Peacekeeper pilot screamed.

But soon enough, his shriek was silenced by the ruthless pilot.

"Saahir! I told you not to go overboard!" the same voice from the speaker rang out again.

"Hahahaha, it'll teach those sinners a thing or two!" the young man laughed as he pursued another defenseless mobile suit. "HAHAHAHAHAHA!! BURN IN HELL!!"

"Brother Saahir!"

This time it was one of his comrade's voices. He stopped just in time for the enemy to escape. Angry that he had lost his prey, he yelled at his partner. "You stupid girl! You're always too soft!"

"Brother Saahir, remember what Reverend Eleazar told us?" a sweet voice spoke to him. "He ordered us to only take as many lives as we needed to in order to bestow God's judgment."

"Who gives a damn about the Reverend!" the indignant pilot replied. "All I care about is destroying these arrogant bastards who only care for themselves!"

"Brother Saahir…"

The third Gospel intercepted them.

"C'mon you two, stop arguing already," its pilot spoke. "The fight's over… let's just return to the Messiah." With a loud grunt, Saahir made his way back to the mother ship. "Don't let him bother you too much, Colleen…" the third pilot said as he sighed in a hopeless manner.

"Thank you, Brother Donum" she said as the three giants returned home. In the distance, they looked like angels, heading towards a castle in the heavens.

"Today, the White Knights attacked the European division of the Peacekeepers and wiped out a large amount of mobile suits. According to the military, this new organization is starting to prove to be a threat to the unity and preservation of peace in the world. Because of their innovative technology and seemingly foolproof tactics, the White Knights are causing more damage than initially anticipated. President Levin claims that there is currently no official declaration of war, but further provocation may cause the Peacekeepers to take aggressive action. Currently, the true motive for the White Knights is unknown, but- "

Click. The young man leaned back on the couch and sighed.

"Just when we thought there was finally peace, eh, Setsuna?" he said as he looked over to his neighbor. "Why can't people just leave the world the way it is…" He stared at him as if he was waiting for an answer. But he never got one. Instead, the Meister stood up and walked over to the door.

"It's getting late," Setsuna said as he looked over his shoulder. "I'm heading back. See you."

"By- " Saji didn't even have the time to finish a word before the door slammed closed. _That was sudden… well, he _is_ hard to understand after all…_

The young Meister felt vibrations in his pocket and fished out his phone.

"Did you watch the news, too?" he asked the caller.

"Yes, I did."

"I see."

"Setsuna, I'm sorry. I was really planning on giving you a break."

"It's fine."

"I'll send you our coordinates."

"I'll head into space tomorrow."

"Thank you, Setsuna. I'll see you tomorrow then."

"Roger… Sumeragi Lee Noriega…"

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**A/N: Very, very short prologue here. And I apologize for any confusion this may have caused. The next chapter will provide a nice summary of the exact time period these events will be taking place and what has happened in the time gap of the series to now. I do know that there is a Gundam 00 movie coming out soon and most likely, this story will conflict with the events from the movie. But as of now, I will simply base this off of the ending of the second season. So please bear with me! This is basically just a little preview and a little introduction to some new characters. But I hope you all enjoyed it! Thank you for reading and please review!**


	2. New Friends and Foes

**Gundam 00 Innovation**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or its characters. However, my original characters belong solely to me.**

**A/N: I mentioned before, this story will probably conflict with the plot of the upcoming Gundam 00 movie. I will try to work with the new information as it slowly becomes released. Therefore, I will have the Gundam Meisters pilot their new Gundams in the movie. However, because I know nothing more about the movie at the moment, I will simply continue from where the series left off. Allelujah is currently not with Celestial Being, but with Marie, traveling somewhere near Europe. Tieria's consciousness is currently merged with Veda.**

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**Chapter 1: New Friends and Foes**

_It is the year AD 2316. After the defeat of Ribbons, the A-Laws were disbanded and replaced with the Peacekeepers, the army of the new Earth Sphere Federation (ESF). The Peacekeepers are separated into different divisions that serve their respective territories: the North American, the South American, the Central American, the European, the Asian, the Middle Eastern, the African, and the Australian divisions. The ESF is currently led by President Levin who supports the development of advanced technology. Angered by the secularism that continues to grow throughout the world, a group of fervent religious believers has risen—the White Knights. This private military organization seeks to spread the word of God through force and violence. With flawless tactics and, ironically, innovative technology, the White Knights have much of an advantage against the Peacekeepers. As the guardians of the new world, Celestial Being rises once again to annihilate this new threat to peace. _

"Welcome back, Setsuna."

The young man turned around and met the eyes of a familiar friend.

"Lockon…"

The sniper grinned and then stepped towards the side. Behind him was a young lady with short cerulean hair and comforting emerald eyes.

"Here, I'll introduce you," Lockon said cheerfully. "This is Thalassa Skye. She was recruited just last week. She's gonna be one of us from now on."

"Pleasure to meet you," she greeted and held out her hand.

"Setsuna F. Seiei," he replied and shook her hand. Based on her actions and facial expression, he could tell that she was different from the… how should he put it? The Mileina-type of girl. There was a certain vitality to her, but she was far from hyper and bubbly. She seemed rather professional and mature, traits that Setsuna respected.

"Oh yeah, Sumeragi-san wants us in the meeting room in about half-an-hour," Lockon said as he took the girl by the hand. "Meanwhile, want to get a drink with me, Thalassa?" He winked at her and pulled, leaving her with not much choice but to follow him. Setsuna didn't bother watching them as he proceeded to the hangar.

"Ah, Setsuna, are you here to see the new Gundams?" the engineer asked as he approached the pilot. "It's almost done. It just needs a couple of minor adjustments here and there." Ian Vashti led the anxious Setsuna to a new mobile suit. "This one here's the GN-012 Siren. It's almost done. It just needs a couple of minor adjustments here and there for maximum efficiency." The young man looked the new suit up and down. It was quite ordinary, except for one thing: fins. His eyes widened. "Good eye, Setsuna! Those are part of Siren's special equipment!" Beaming, Ian walked towards the Gundam and placed his hands on it, rubbing it like a great treasure. "It's designed so that it has high mobility in all different types of medium. Space, air, water, anything!" As he was talking, Setsuna was trying to organize information in his brain.

"So who is this Gundam for?" the pilot asked. Allelujah and Tieria were no longer with them. Lockon Stratos only used shooter-based Gundams. And Setsuna already had the Qan(T). He thought harder, and was suddenly shocked by the possibility that-

"It's for that new Gundam Meister, Thalassa Skye," the engineer answered. Setsuna became speechless. He had always seen the title _Gundam Meister _to have been something godly. He had known that not just anyone could become a Gundam Meister. He had to be selected by Veda out of the millions of potential candidates out there in the world. Not only did the appearance of this new… Meister diminish the significance of his position, but it was a _she_.

"A _female _Gundam Meister?" Setsuna hissed. "How was _she _selected?"

"I actually don't know," Ian replied. "But from her simulation training records, her mobility is superb. And beyond her battle abilities, she's a nice girl. You should get along with her." Disturbed, the pilot looked down.

"Nevermind that," he said, trying to change the subject. "How is the maintenance of the Qan(T) coming along?"

"Oh, just a couple of scratches here and there," Ian said nonchalantly as he peeked over to the next Gundam. "Nothing major. You'll be able to use it in no time."

"Thanks," Setsuna said, slightly happier that his Gundam was in good condition. But he suddenly remembered that there was a crew meeting. "What time is it?"

"Oh yeah!" the engineer exclaimed. "I almost forgot about the meeting. Let's go, Setsuna!" And the two left the sanctuary of the Gundams.

The crew hadn't really changed during the two months that Setsuna was gone for. There was Christoph Boehm, a crew member who had joined in the past few months. Although he wasn't really a newbie, Setsuna didn't have too much respect for him. He was well-kept and always had his light blonde hair in place. He looked and acted like a prince, to be honest. He was so polite and courteous that Setsuna often wondered why he was in Celestial Being in the first place.

"First of all, I'd like to welcome Setsuna F. Seiei back to the team," the tactical forecaster's voice rang out. "But unfortunately, that also means we have a new mission." Sumeragi glanced over to Christoph. He cleared his throat.

"According to the European division, there was an attack by the White Knights just yesterday," he recounted in his slight German accent. "This is the fifth assault that they have invoked and the Peacekeepers have requested for our aid." With the click of a remote, a screen of data flashed open. "This here is data received from Commander Mannequin of the European division. She included pictures of the mobile suits the enemy used as well as all the information they could obtain from the physical contact they achieved through the battle."

"Thank you, Christoph," Sumeragi said as she traded places with him. "Our next mission is to intervene in what we believe will be the White Knight's next plan of action."

"And that is?" Lockon asked as he leaned against the wall.

"From what little information we have gathered, we think that they are planning to ambush an European country," the tactical forecaster spoke rather calmly. "The Peacekeepers sent us encrypted messages stating that they had found some spies hiding throughout Europe."

"That's scary," Mileina whispered, more to herself than anyone else. Feldt simply nodded beside her. The room was suddenly quiet as the crew thought to themselves.

"Therefore, we need a plan to dispatch the Meisters in Europe," Sumeragi said as she looked over to her three pilots, "but since we don't know the exact location where the attack may occur, it will be difficult to intervene effectively with only three Meisters."

"Don't worry, we're handle it," Lockon said confidently with a smirk. "Right, Setsuna?" He set his hand on his partner's shoulder. It was then that the lass approached them and handed Setsuna a familiar data storage device.

"Setsuna, Lockon, Thalassa," she sternly said, "I want the three of you to look over this data before we commence the mission. Understood?"

"Roger!" the three of them replied at once.

* * *

A girl with long, blonde hair was kneeling on the ground, hands clasped in prayer. It was absolutely quiet in the tiny chapel. The girl's eyebrows furrowed as if she were in pain. Her lips moved, but no sound emerged. She stayed like that for a long time, praying with all her might.

Knock, knock.

"Colleen, it's time for dinner," a tall and rather handsome young man called from the open doorway.

"Ah, thank you, Brother Donum," the girl answered and turned to face him. She had always found her comrade attractive, so attractive in fact that if it were not for her devotion to God, she might have considered a romantic relationship with him. Donum took her hand and the two of them made their way to the cafeteria.

The cafeteria was bustling with people. From pilots to priests, it seemed like the whole crew decided to have their dinner breaks all at the same time. Colleen scanned her surroundings and frowned when she could not find the person she most wanted to see at the moment.

"Looking for Reverend Eleazar?" Donum asked after seeing her troubled look. "He said he wasn't feeling too well today, and is eating in his private room." But to his surprise, she shook her head.

"No, I wasn't looking for him," she mumbled. "Brother Saahir isn't here…"

"Ah, yes," the young man replied. "His dinner privileges were temporarily withdrawn because of his impulsive actions during the last mission." Suddenly, she spun around and Donum's heart ached when he saw her grief-stricken face. "What's wrong? This is definitely not the first time it's happened."

"B- but, I feel so bad for him," Colleen whispered. "Look at him. He's so thin. He hardly eats, he hardly sleeps, and the priests do nothing but punish him by injecting drugs into hi- " She was shushed by the young man's hand.

"Colleen, you know you're not supposed to talk about that!" he hissed and lowered his voice even more. "Drugs are unethical… they are sinful in the eyes of God." He knew what she wanted to ask him. Then why was Saahir given drugs? Although he knew the answer, he couldn't bear to tell her the cruel truth. He relaxed his hand. "Now, why don't we just eat dinner in peace? I'll tell you what. We can bring Saahir our leftovers." At this, she enthusiastically nodded.

* * *

It was so hard to breathe.

The tan young man had a fit on his bed, unable to keep his body calm. His limbs flinched at irregular beats and his heart pounded so hard and fast that his chest hurt. Seeking to stabilize himself, he grabbed at the corner of his bed and dug his nails into the mattress. For some reason, tearing and destroying things soothed him when he was in this pathetic state.

Saahir suddenly thought of his comrades: the naïve and compassionate Colleen, and the level-minded and determined Dunom. He wondered what they were doing right now. Were they having dinner without him? His stomach ached because of lack of food. He hadn't eaten for two days already. But the simple thought of food made his stomach churn from the chemicals that had been forced in. Saahir suddenly felt nauseous and leaned over the bed weakly so that he could relieve himself. His whole body began to shake and he glanced towards the ceiling. He closed his eyes and prayed.

_Why are you doing this to me… God?_

His thoughts were interrupted by knocking. His body immediately cringed at the thought that the priest could be back. Unknowingly, he let out a feeble scream.

"Get out! Don't come in!" he cried. "LEAVE ME ALONE!"

Outside the door, his two comrades stood, with food in their hands. Colleen looked frightened, having been rejected and even Donum was surprised at Saahir's reaction.

"What should we do?" the young girl asked Donum. He sighed, irritated by the fact that he had failed in his attempt in making her smile.

"Let's just leave the food out here," he replied. "I'm sure he'll come out sooner or later." And so, the two of them set their food in a pleasant arrangement before Saahir's door and left.

* * *

"An ambush in Greece?" the commander's deep voice repeated. "But why? Why would the White Knights have any reason to attack Greece?"

"We're not sure why either," Sumeragi's voice sounded through the phone. "But we received the information from a trusted source. We will be deploying our forces around Greece."

"I see," Mannequin answered. "I place my trust with you, then." She hung up and thought quietly to herself. She suddenly regretted asking Celestial Being for help. After all, it simply proved that she could not win this fight with her own skill alone. _Leesa Kujo… Who knew that you would one day surpass me…?_ She leaned back in her chair and decided to take a little time to relax.

"Kati honey~!"

The familiar idiotic voice caused a vein to swell on the commander's head. She ignored him.

"Kaaattttiiiiiii honneeeyyyy~"

She couldn't take it when he spoke her name with such a saccharine voice.

"What is it, Patrick?!" she cried as she glared at him. However, as usual, he remained unmoved and retained his naïve smile.

"I love you, Kati," he said as he presented her a single rose. Mannequin swore she wanted to slam her forehead against a desk. But she knew how to handle this professionally and controlled her temper. She took a couple of breaths, closed her eyes and relaxed her shoulders. She had to give him credit. After agreeing to marry him, Mannequin had been nothing but cruel to him. She ordered him to do the household chores, to do all the grocery shopping, and to take care of the European division when she was busy. And even after all that, she still refused to changed her last name to Colasaur. She believed adopting the new name would override her current identity and put her on the same level as that idiot. But she smiled.

"I love you too, Patrick," she said softly, relaxing the harsh features of her face. On the other hand, the ace looked as he were about to cry. And before she knew it, he had leaped onto her from behind and squeezed her tightly. "P- Patrick! I can't breathe!"

"Kati~ I'm going to make your favorite curry tonight!" he said with a contagious grin. "You better finish your work quickly so you can come and eat my masterpiece!" He gave a triumphant laugh before letting go and running off giddily like a schoolgirl.

"Oh God…" she sighed as she gazed at her sparking wedding ring. She smiled a bit as she recalled that happy day. But the thought of what was to come brought her back to a solemn state.

_I will protect my people… I will protect my husband. That is my goal. And I will do anything within my power to achieve my goal._

She decided to type a message to Celestial Being.

_We will begin the operation at 6:00 AM. _

_ -Mannequin_

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**A/N: Sooooo, how was it? In my opinion, this chapter was a lot better than the last. Yes, there will be quite a few OC's in this series simply because a new series deserves new characters. I hope that they are all likeable and I will do my best to develop them as well as existing characters. I love to play with relationships such as Kati/Patrick. They are very cute together! Thank you for reading and I hope that you will help me by reviewing!**


	3. False Intelligence

**Gundam 00 Innovation**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or its characters. However, my original characters belong solely to me.**

**A/N: Just want to give a big thanks to Strike Destiny for my first review! I really enjoy reviews as they usually provide me information on how I should continue the story and what I should do to improve my writing.**

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**Chapter 2: False Intelligence**

"Setsuna, Qan(T) is ready to go," Ian reported as the pilot entered the hangar.

"Thanks, Ian," he said rather curtly, but the old-time engineer knew he really appreciated his work. Setsuna climbed up his new Gundam, eying it carefully only to be relieved that it was in prime condition. He settled in his seat as he felt himself being lifted off the ground and he fumbled around with the controls. It had been a while since he last sortied.

"Qan(T) is ready to sortie," Feldt's voice rang through the speakers.

"Setsuna, remember the plan," Sumeragi prompted. "You will station yourself on the Western border of Greece, by Albania. As soon as spot any type of hostility towards Greece, you will intervene immediately, understand?"

"Roger," he said, mentally readying himself for the mission.

"That's not fair," Lockon's voice piped in. "How come I have to be stationed so far away from the main action?"

"It would be dangerous to have all of you in such proximity to Greece," she replied. "This is an ambush. If all three of you arrived at Greece and even one of you were detected, this whole plan would be a failure. For you, staying near the Eastern outskirts of Germany would be best."

"Zabanya is ready to sortie," Feldt chimed again. "Siren will be ready in 60."

"Thalassa," Sumeragi called and shocked the newbie initially. "This will be your first real mission. Do you remember your instructions?"

"Yes, Sumeragi-san," she said while making herself familiar with the controls. "I am to deploy near the Eastern border of Greece and I will only act after Setsuna's permission."

"Did you hear that, Setsuna?" Sumeragi reminded him. "After making your move, give orders to Thalassa. Since this is her first mission, make sure to watch out for her, okay?" As much as he disliked having a newbie drag him down, he couldn't refuse.

"Roger that," he said and sealed his helmet with its dark screen. "Qan(T), Setsuna F. Seiei, moving out!" The radiant Gundam projected itself into the air, sparkling with its dual GN Drives.

"Zabanya, Lockon Stratos, going to snipe the targets!" The firearm-specialist Gundam soon flew out and headed towards its destination.

"Siren, Thalassa Skye, launching!" The light and graceful mobile suit emerged from its cavern and glided through the sky.

"Thalassa Skye, follow me. Don't fall behind," Setsuna ordered callously.

"Roger."

* * *

"Ohhhh, Matthieu! Isn't this necklace just so lovely?"

The couple stopped before the jewelry shop and the girl refused to move. With her hands against the glass, she leaned down further and watched the gorgeous trinket sparkle in the showcase lights. The young man gulped as he stared down at the accumulating number of shopping bags he was holding. He knew what she was going to do next.

"Come here, Matthieu! Look, look!" she exclaimed, cheeks flushing. "See how it shimmers like that? Wow, it's so beautiful…" And then came her special weapon: the puppy eyes. It caused the lad's chest to hurt just to look at them.

_If looks could kill, I would've been dead a long time ago…_, he thought as he tried to avoid her direct gaze. Matthieu knew he should've felt overjoyed to be dating one of the most beautiful girls, but to be honest, he wasn't too happy. He watched her as she swept her silky red hair behind her shoulder and lowered her long lashes. She perfected the heartbreaking stance by slightly pouting her perfect pink lips. _Oh God… not again. _He understood the drill. Without any more hesitation, he walked the two of them into the shop and he approached the jeweler.

"Excuse me, Madame," Matthieu called. "How much is that heart-shaped diamond necklace in the front?" The lady glanced over his shoulder.

"Oh, you mean our latest Jeanette-Adelia model?" she said with a warm smile. "That would be 450 Euros, Monsieur."

"450?!" the poor young man cried and quickly glanced over to his date, hoping she had not heard. He really didn't have the money to buy that necklace. He had already spent around 200 Euros just buying all the pretty clothing and accessories she had strolled upon in one day.

"Is that your girlfriend?" the jeweler asked, seeing that the he was shocked at the price. "She would really appreciate something like that."

"E- eeehh, she's not really my girlfriend," Matthieu nervously laughed. "She just agreed to go on a date with me is all."

"Ohhhh, I see," she replied. "Then you should impress her so you two can go on another date." She clasped her hands together in a business-like way and smiled sanguinely. Then, someone called her. "Oh, I'm sorry, I'll be right back." And she hurried away to another counter. Matthieu used this moment as a breather. He knew he couldn't afford that necklace and so he turned around with his head hung in shame.

"Fantine," he said, lowering his voice. He couldn't look at her. He knew she was going to be mad. "I'm really sorry, but I can't afford that necklace." He squeezed his eyes, ready for whatever punishment that was to come.

"Oh, that's fine," the pretty lass answered. At this, the young man looked up, shocked. "I wasn't expecting you to buy it anyway…" Suddenly, a revelation hit Matthieu. He reflected back onto the beginning of the date.

_Now that I think about it, she never _did _ask me to buy anything…_, he thoughts and frowned at his weakness. _I simply acted on impulse and bought anything she really liked…_ He sighed, knowing that he was going to pay dearly for this date by working overtime in the local café. But he was a little happier now. At least he knew that Fantine wasn't going to expect him to buy anything else for the rest of the day.

* * *

The air was full of tension in the Ptolemaios. Half of the day had passed, and there were still no signs of aggression. Worried, Sumeragi contacted her old friend of the European division.

"Commander Mannequin," she called. "Have the Peacekeepers detected anything yet?"

"Our troops have been deployed in the surrounding areas as well as in Greece," Kati answered. "However, we haven't received any new information at the moment. Everything seems normal."

_That's so strange_, Sumeragi thought. _Are they waiting for something? I had predicted that they would attack early in the morning to throw the people off-guard. _She felt troubled by this false tranquility, almost as if she were waiting… waiting for something horrible to happen. She shivered at the thought and tried to brush it away, but regardless of her efforts, her past managed to catch up with her again. _Setsuna… Lockon… Thalassa… please be okay… _

* * *

"Geez, what's taking her so long?" Matthieu wondered out loud as he waited impatiently outside of the dressing room. Being very bored, he began to feel a little mischievous. He glanced at the many shopping bags that rested next to his legs. Although he had bought a lot of things for her, he hadn't really looked carefully at them. And so, his curiosity drove him to fish through her bags.

Out of the first bag came a large, pink sweater. He hadn't noticed before, but the size was labeled a "Large" which greatly confused Matthieu. _Last time I checked, Fantine didn't wear a Large size… _In another bag, he pulled out a colorful hat and scarf. Although he could imagine the lass wearing such accessories, their style was quite outdated and looked as if they would be better suited for elders. Next was some yarn. Then was a very bulky coat. And the rest of things that followed were simply odd. _What is all this… junk? _He wondered. But his thoughts were cut short when he heard the door of the dressing room open.

"Soooo, how is it?" Fantine asked as she came forward with a lovely white dress. Matthieu suddenly stopped midway of stuffing her products back in the bags and lifted his head to admire the beauty before him. The dress was frilly and decorated with ribbons, something a doll would wear. The dress matched her whole look beautifully, complementing her pale complexion and bringing out her bright blue eyes. She looked so delicate and innocent in it, that he felt a nosebleed coming on.

"It's… gorgeous," he breathed, unable to say any more. However, her smile suddenly flipped itself as she saw his hand reaching into one of her bags.

"Are you looking through my stuff?" she asked, putting her hands on her hips.

"Oh!" he gasped as he realized his fatal mistake. "I- I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to! I just want-"

"Oh, whatever, it's fine," she said, turning slightly away. Although Matthieu felt guilty for having invaded her privacy, his curiosity got the better of him.

"Sorry for asking, but…" he started as he pulled out the sweater, "who are these clothes and random household items for?" There was silence as Fantine thought about her answer.

"They're for… my grandparents," she finally confessed. She blushed a bit out of embarrassment.

"Oh, I see," Matthieu murmured, mentally hitting himself for being such jerk. He had misunderstood her this whole time. However, one thing still bothered him. "But why so much stuff?"

"Tomorrow's my grandparents' anniversary," Fantine answered, but a little sadly. "Half of those are Mama and Papa's presents." Before he could understand what she meant, there was suddenly a large sound.

BOOM!

The whole room began to shake tumultuously and Fantine lost her balance. Matthieu attempted to break her fall, but a nearby standing mirror fell and crushed him with its weight. The room continued to shake, the windows shattered, and clothes and furniture flew uncontrollably. Fantine slid and hit her head on the sharp corner of doorway, knocking her unconscious.

* * *

Lockon was startled when he heard a strange noise. He looked to his right, and to his horror, saw smoke. _An explosion?! But that's not Greece!_ He mentally derided himself that he had been as careless as to miss something like that, but he flew towards the smoke as quickly as possible.

"Setsuna! Thalassa!" he shouted into his speakers. "There's been an attack!" He couldn't tell exactly where it was, but he quickly tried to search for the source using the technology of his Gundam. "It's in France!"

"WHAT?!" Setsuna yelled back, astounded. He was suddenly conflicted. Was the attack in France what they were waiting for? Or was this simply a distraction from the real thing that was supposed to happen in Greece?

"There's mobile suits here! There's been a huge explosion in Paris!" Lockon exclaimed, surprising both of his comrades. They had expected a potential bombing, but not a mobile suit invasion. The sniper zoomed in so that he could identify the enemy. As he expected, it was a white mobile suit with a cross embedded in its chest, meaning that it belonged to the White Knights. However, fortunately, it was not one of the newer models they had come up with. "They're definitely part of the White Knights!"

"We're coming!" Setsuna cried after finally believing that this was the real thing. "Thalassa, let's go."

"Roger," she replied with trust.

From afar, Lockon shot at the hovering mobile suit with his impressive long-range abilities. Unfortunately, the enemy's reaction was quick and his mobile suit managed to move in time. Zabanya shot a couple more times, using shorter-range firearms to emphasize speed over power. After a series of shots, the opponent remained standing, with only one arm removed.

"These guys are fast," Lockon hissed through gritted teeth. He switched his weapons and brought out a set of beam pistols. "You're not getting away!"

* * *

"FRANCE?!" Sumeragi gasped as she nearly fell over in her seat. She had not expected this at all. _Our information was… wrong? _She couldn't believe it.

"Zabanya is in combat with a White Knight mobile suit," Mileina reported. "Qan(T) and Siren will arrive in 600."

"Impossible!" the tactical forecaster cried as she pounded the arm of her chair with her fist. "They tricked us!"

"Enemy mobile suit is down!" Feldt announced. "Zabanya is moving in towards Paris." She suddenly gasped. "Lockon! Mobile suits sighted!"

"What?!" Lockon said and was then abruptly interrupted by a beam to his side. He scanned his surroundings and found himself enclosed by four white mobile suits. "How were they undetected until now?" But he had no time to think things through. He pulled out a new set of beam pistols and fired away, aiming for their weak spots. One of them got a lucky shot and hit a part of Zabanya's weapon container, damaging some useful weaponry. Lockon responded by shooting at the suit's chest area, and succeeded in knocking the head off and damaging the cockpit.

Seeing that he was being approached by too many mobile suits at once, Zabanya retreated and tried to shoot them from afar. But they were much faster than he had expected. Fortunately, he managed to shoot another enemy down, but two of these suits were still a little much for him to handle. These weren't ordinary suits after all. He was about to fire when suddenly, a flash of light appeared out of nowhere. Lockon looked up and beamed when he saw that the Qan(T) was here. He grinned a little when he saw the Siren attempt to hide behind the other Gundam.

"Miss Thalassa," Lockon teased, "if you want to be a Gundam Meister, you better be a little more gutsy!"

"Not impulsive, though," Setsuna said. "I wasn't the one who fired. She was. Thalassa, please don't do something brash like that again." The sniper chuckled, but quickly regained his composure to take care of the business on hand. "Lockon, we will take care of the mobile suits here. You go into the city to see if there are any more."

"Roger," he said as he descended lower in the sky. He hovered near the smoke and saw the rubble that lay beneath. "Oh God…" The damage done was enormous and he bit his lip when he saw the many dead bodies that lay on the streets. "How horrible…" Then, unexpectedly, he spotted movement out of the corner of his eye.

It was a mobile suit.

He fired without a second thought. But this time, it wasn't an ordinary White Knight, it was one of those new models that the Peacekeepers had been talking about. It was different in structure and around it was a radiant aura. However, to Lockon's surprise, the automaton retreated and flew off with high speed. He thought twice about chasing it, but found that making sure there were no other mobile suits nearby was more important. He turned only to find a barren street full of debris. But something… no, _someone _caught his attention. He zoomed in on his screen.

Kneeling on the ground and shaking was a young lady. Her bright red hair and pretty blue eyes looked so out of place among the wreckage around her. He could tell she was badly injured and zoomed up more to take a better look at her face. He flinched in shock.

"Anew…" he whispered. He imagined her lovely face again and recognized the similarities. The vibrant color of hair, the beautiful eyes, the soft facial features. But he shook his head to clear his mind. _No… Anew is dead… she just reminds me of her… _Having been preoccupied with the thought of his old lover, he had almost overlooked the fact that she was bleeding and looked badly injured. Completely losing all reason, he approached her and watched fear creep onto her face. He slowed down and felt hurt by how terrified and hopeless she looked.

"I'm not going to hurt you," Lockon said, trying to comfort the girl. His mind wasn't functioning properly. All of a sudden, nothing seemed to matter anymore. His identity, his mission, his pride. It was all gone. Just the thought of Anew sent a wave of sentiment crashing over him.

He extended his hand.

* * *

**A/N: I didn't actually enjoy this chapter very much, probably because of the dragging caused by the Matthieu and Fantine scenes. Battle scenes are very difficult for me to write, so if anyone would be willing to give suggestions, I'd be more than happy to listen! So, please review and I'll be overjoyed! Thank you all for reading.**


	4. Invasion of France

**Gundam 00 Innovation**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Gundam 00 or its characters. However, my original characters belong solely to me.**

**A/N: Thanks to Strike Destiny again for reviewing! I just realized that I have left out handy-dandy Haro in my story! **

* * *

**Chapter 3: Invasion of France**

"Lockon, we're coming to your location," Setsuna said after he dealt the finishing blow to the enemy mobile suit. He made sure Thalassa was fine and that she was following him. "Lockon?"

"A- ah!" Lockon exclaimed as a result of being taken by surprise. "R- roger… hahahaha…"

"Is something wrong?" the young pilot asked, concerned by his comrade's stammering.

"I- I'm fine, it's nothing," the sniper replied and attempted to regain his composure. "There was a mobile suit earlier, but it retreated at such a high speed that I couldn't shoot it down."

_At such a high speed? _Setsuna pondered what type of mobile suit could have escaped so quickly. Perhaps it was a different type of mobile suit? One of the type the European division had warned them about? The pilot soon saw the Zabanya in the distance. He then scanned the rubble of the city beneath. "So they attacked the heart of Paris… how horrible…"

"Yeah, who knows how many people died here," Lockon whispered. "All because of false information…" Suddenly, a shadow flew in the Zabanya's cockpit and Setsuna flinched. The Krugis pilot blinked hard and was afraid that he was starting to hallucinate out of fatigue. Lockon looked over at the forgotten Gundam. "Hey, Miss Thalassa, are you okay?" But he received no answer. "Miss Thalassa?" A small noise then emitted from his speakers. He leaned closer and heard sniffles. _She's… crying?_

"Thalassa, we are Gundam Meisters," Setsuna said sternly. "Our duty is to preserve the peace of the world. However, there are many people who try to destroy that peace. An example of that is what lies right before your eyes. You will see people die. You will see cities destroyed. But after all that, what will keep you going… is your desire to change the world." There was a long pause of silence as the sniffles stopped.

"Are you done crying now, Miss Thalassa?" Lockon teased. "Done crying? Done crying?" cried his infamous Haro.

"I- I wasn't crying!" she answered with a slightly hoarse voice. She lifted her head and enabled the others to see that she was okay. "I'm fine. Let's go." But before the three Gundams could even make their way to the sky, enemy mobile suits appeared on their radars.

"Enemy approaching, enemy approaching!" Haro alerted and Lockon checked their numbers. "There's quite a few of them this time around," he reported. "Damn, we fell into a trap." He turned to face the incoming enemies. "Hang on tight…" he whispered as he lowered his eyepiece. "Lockon Stratos, sniping the targets!" A long beam shot out and fortunately, hit one of the mobile suits square in the chest. The enemy, aware of the Gundam Meisters' potential, dispersed.

"I-It's that one," a tiny voice murmured into the sniper's ear.

"That's- " Setsuna breathed. "That's the one! Those new models the White Knights have!" In response, the Zabanya targeted it.

"I'll shoot it down! You go worry- wait, Thalassa!" Lockon cried after the female pilot but she was already approaching the enemy at high speed. "That girl…"

"DIEEEEE!!" Thalassa cried as she approached the leader of the White Knight forces. "You're gonna pay for all those innocent people you killed back there!" She shot with her pistol, but the beam simply bounced off the enemy's strong armor. "HYAAAAAHHHHHHH!!"

"Lockon, I'm going after her!" Setsuna yelled as he quickly followed her trail.

"What the hell?!" the Gospel pilot said as he felt the beam ricochet off of his mobile suit. He hadn't expected such a reckless move. "You're going to regret that!" He pulled out his long saber and sparks flew when his blade collided with the Gundam's pistol. However, it was before long that the pistol shattered. Shocked, Thalassa suddenly retreated and fumbled with her controls, not completely adept under pressure. She saw that the enemy was approaching and she panicked. Everything froze and for a second, she thought that this was the end.

A horrible crunch caused her to snap out of her trance. There was Qan(T) in front of her slammed into the torso part of the enemy mobile suit. She shook violently, and didn't know whether to be absolutely terrified or relieved. She tried to calm herself down and think rationally, like she always did during the simulation runs. But these battles… they were different… they were the real thing.

"Brother Donum," one of the White Knight pilots called to their leader. "What are your orders?"

"Surround the sniper!" Donum cried. "We'll wipe out the city later!" Immediately after his order, mobile suits chased after Zabanya.

"Damn!" Lockon hissed as he tried to avoid beams. He switched to his shorter range equipment. "Take this!" He dealt several blows to the incoming suits, but their numbers and skill were too much to handle. "Gah!"

"Lockon!" Thalassa yelled. She immediately descended to his aide. Meanwhile, Qan(T) shoved the Gospel away from him and pulled out his sword. Setsuna charged and slashed with his sword, only to collide with that of the enemy.

_Man, this guy is pretty good… _Donum thought. He broke free from Qan(T) and to Setsuna's surprise, unleashed another blade.

_I see… he's wields twin blades… _Setsuna calculated. He left some space between them to anticipate his next move.

"God Mode."

In a burst of bright light, the enemy mobile suit disappeared. Setsuna glanced side to side, but couldn't find his opponent at all. _Where did he go? _He turned, expecting an ambush, but none came. There was absolute silence. Nothing was happening, but Setsuna didn't dare relax his grip. _He's here somewhere… I know it! _Then, he heard a small sound, a thin screeching noise. And before he knew it, something collapsed on him… hard.

"Trans-Am!"

The Zabanya glowed daring red and shot across the sky like a comet. The White Knights, unaware that the Gundam Meisters had such abilities, were retreated in awe. But they made the wrong choice. The Siren approached them and fired, sealing off their escape route. From behind, Lockon aimed at each with precision and speed. After a fury of beams and smoke, the enemy entourage was eliminated.

"Good job, Thalassa," Lockon sighed. "Good job, good job!" Haro repeated. Although he was relieved that his part of the battle was over, he was a little disturbed. _I was pretty sure my time limit for Trans-Am wasn't up… _Yet here he was now, in his regular state. The sniper looked up and above where his fellow comrade was fighting. But now, there was just a large screen of smoke. Lockon bit his lip. "Setsuna!"

A mobile suit suddenly intervened and ascended to where Qan(T) was supposed to be. The suffocating weight suddenly lifted and Setsuna opened his eyes. He found both his helmet and screen cracked, and he felt warm liquid run down his forehead. From his blurry vision, he made out a European Division mobile suit attacking his opponent. But it wasn't before long that it was eliminated by an explosion. However, several more European suits followed. A message came in for Setsuna.

"Please retreat, Celestial Being," one of the mobile suits' pilots said. "This is Lieutenant Borche from the European Division of the Peacekeepers. We're sorry we arrived so late. We were ambushed by some White Knights around the far outskirts of France. But since we are here now, please use this time to escape and recover." Although Setsuna was well aware that he was wounded and that his Gundam was quite damaged, he remained stubborn. He repositioned himself, but winced when he felt a sharp pain in his side. His vision was still fuzzy and his head throbbed.

_What was that attack…? _He wondered, but an answer to his question played out before him. Suddenly, one of the Peacekeepers was taken hostage by the enemy mobile suit. Utilizing its sword that had split into two prongs, it clasped the Peacekeeper tightly and slowly began to compress it. _Is that… what happened to me? _Suddenly, he understood and planned for action.

"Trans-Am!"

Setsuna closed his eyes, waiting for that sudden surge of energy, that dangerous red glow that would overcome his mobile suit, that miracle which would…

But nothing happened.

"Trans-Am!" Setsuna shouted again. Again, nothing happened. He gritted his teeth when he saw the Peacekeeper crushed between the Gospel's prongs. _Why isn't Trans-Am working…? What's wrong? _He watched helplessly as another mobile suit fell to the Gospel.

"Please leave," the lieutenant spoke to Setsuna again. "Please, it is our duty to preserve the peace of the world. We will do anything to achieve that peace."

"Celestial Being, retreat!" the tactical forecaster's voice projected from the speakers.

"Sumeragi Lee Noriega…" Setsuna said quietly, wanting to disobey her.

"Setsuna, Qan(T) is badly damaged… you can't take on that mobile suit in your current state," Sumeragi replied strictly. "Setsuna, I hate to tell you this… but please retreat." He knew he had no choice. With great hesitation, Setsuna turned his back to his allies, and returned to his mothership.

"I'm sorry," Sumeragi apologized. "But something has happened. I'll tell you all later in the meeting."

* * *

There was a good amount of whispering and chattering among the crew when Setsuna entered the meeting room onboard the Ptolemaios. Mileina grabbed his sleeve and tugged.

"Setsuna, have you seen Lockon?" she asked, eyes full of worry.

"Not since we docked, why?" he answered, actually curious now about his comrade's absence. Her pink-haired approached the pilot.

"According to rumors, he brought a civilian girl onboard," she said rather bitterly.

"What?! A civilian?" Setsuna exclaimed. He paused for a second and tried to judge the plausibility of this rumor. He couldn't deny that Lockon would _never_ do such a thing, but to risk his identity and mission to take in a girl didn't sound likely either. "I won't believe it until I see it for myself."

The room suddenly settled when the sniper made his way in. It was evident that Lockon was aware of the many eyes that were placed on him, but he chose to ignore all of them. Everyone was curious, but no one dared to ask. And yet he had a complacent grin on his face, as if there was nothing wrong at all. He rested himself next to Setsuna and whispered in his ear.

"You should come with me to the brig later. She's a pretty one."

Shocked, Setsuna stared at him with wide eyes. His mouth opened to speak, but he was interrupted by the sliding of the door. In came Sumeragi with a deep frown.

"In the middle of our fight against the White Knights," she began, but her voice lacked confidence as it went on, "our connection with Veda was suddenly weakened. That is the main reason why I called our retreat." Murmurs of disbelief filled the room. "I can't seem to find the cause and even worse… I can't contact Tieria…" A gasp came from Mileina.

"B- but, what does that mean?" she asked in a worried tone.

"All we can do now is remain calm and try to use what we have," Sumeragi explained. "We can still launch and operate the Gundams like normal, but we cannot use highly-Veda associated abilities such as Trans-Am at the moment." She glanced at Setsuna and he suddenly understood what had happened. "We'll be on a break for now and we'll retreat to space for safety. Meanwhile, I will depend on you, Ian, to help us find a way around Veda. And I will try my best to contact Tieria." Her fists clenched tightly and it was obvious that she was only trying to be strong for the crew. "So I hope everyone will take this time to get a good rest and prepare for what is to come."

And thus, the shocking meeting finally concluded.

* * *

**A/N: So I'm trying to make this a bit more interesting by adding twists, but I also decided to give the crew a small break since I realized that because I've been incorporating so many fighting scenes, I often forget about developing the characters! So look forward to the next chapter and please review! It would make me so happy!!**


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